The White Swan in Swinton has become the first Joseph Holt pub licensed to host weddings, after the brewery spent £800,000 on a new function suite. The pub also has a story about Paul Gascoigne.

Joseph Holt announced the wedding licence on 1 September, and Salford Now reported it on 12 September. The newly built Joseph Holt Suite seats 150 guests on the ground floor and has its own bar, a log burner and private facilities, according to Salford Now. Holt says a pub in England and Wales can host legal weddings only if it holds an approved premises licence from the local authority, and that few pubs in Greater Manchester offer this.

The pub is on Worsley Road in South Swinton. Holt says there has been a pub on the site for around 200 years and that the brewery bought it in 1868. Salford Now reports that it keeps original oak panelling, stained glass and a panelled billiard room dating from 1926.

The landlady, Lyndsey Smethills, said the suite filled a gap left by the closure of other venues. She said Swinton Town Hall was once a much-loved venue for weddings and celebrations but is no longer available for private functions. The function room has also hosted community groups, including a chess club and a heart-health group, Holt says.

The Gascoigne story comes from a Q&A with the landlady that Holt published on 21 October, which it says was featured in the Manchester Evening News. Smethills said that “a few years ago” Paul Gascoigne came in with a couple of friends. She did not believe it was him until she heard his accent, and she posted a picture of them on social media. “Within 15 minutes the place was packed,” she said, and the pub ended up putting the music on and having “a bit of a party”.

In the same Q&A, Smethills named the former rugby league player Adrian Morley and the former Everton coach Andy Holden among other visitors, and said Clint Boon has also done a few nights there. Salford Now says the pub is mainly a drinks-led sports pub, serving Joseph Holt beers and Carrs pasties rather than a full food menu.

Sources: Joseph Holt, 1 September 2026; Joseph Holt, 21 October 2026; Salford Now, 12 September 2026. This article was produced with the help of AI tools and checked by an editor against the sources above.